A new library has opened inside a Macclesfield primary school.

Upton Priory School, located on Berwick Close in Macclesfield, opened 'The Book Nook' this afternoon.

Named by the children, it is filled with over £10,000 worth of books and will be available for full use in September.

Following a year in planning and resourcing, the new library will make reading accessible and enjoyable for all through its wide selection of books, which feature characters from all walks of life and explore hundreds of topics and themes. 

Macclesfield artist and guest of honour Marc Jackson, AKA Marc Makes Comics / Room for Comics, attended to cut the ribbon and joined teachers, pupils and families in celebrating this fantastic new resource.

The 12 'Reading Champions' from years three to six, who have been in post since September to help drive a love of reading throughout school, also helped with proceedings and proudly showed fellow pupils and their families around.

Year three pupil, Joanie Yates (aged eight), said: "The new library is amazing! I can't believe how many different books there are - I don't know which one to read first. I love reading and am really excited that we've got such a wonderful library at school now."

Upton Priory School wanted to create the new facility to further help with actively encouraging reading.

The teachers deeply understand the benefits of doing so to children's wider education and future success.

The library has been carefully formed to embody the principles of The University of Edinburgh's highly regarded Love to Read programme, which Acting Head of School Mrs Sleath was selected to participate in and now uses to drive the learnings through the library. 

Mrs Sleath, said: "In order to encourage children's love of reading, it's vital that they have regular access to books and that there's a breadth of choice - which is why the library includes everything from comics to novels to non-fiction books and everything in between.

"We value all reading and empower children to make their own choices to read in a way that suits them - whether that's to dip in and out of a book, flip between genres, read aloud or quietly, or to change their mind mid-way through and choose something different - as long as they're learning how to find books they enjoy that support their love of reading then the library has done its job."

She continued: "A brand new library with regular access for all pupils will ensure the children at Upton Priory Primary School have plenty of time to read.

"We know that connection is a vital contributor to a love of reading - we've carefully curated the books to ensure they include a variety of characters and themes so that every child can find something they resonate with. The library is brimming with nooks and crannies to sit and escape or enjoy books together as we understand the importance of creating a social space in our library.

"We want all of our children to believe in themselves and to see themselves as readers so that they can enjoy a lifetime of reading as we know this results in higher achievement levels more than anything else."

Many local and national organisations are to thank for its creation and success, having funded books, time, expertise and donations. 

Mrs Sleath added: "The school would like to thank The Foyles Foundation for the grant, the Lit in Colour Competition, through Book Trust, who awarded us 210 books from authors of colour, the Siobhan Dowd Christmas shopping spree competition, Silk Scaffolding for gifting resources for a library sculpture, Scholastic and everyone who purchased books from the traveling book fair, Lobster House Studios, who worked with our children to design a beautiful, bespoke library mural, The Education Library Service who have helped organise and display the books on the shelves and Simply Books in Bramhall, for helping us choose the wonderful breadth of books that are included on the shelves.

"And of course, our dedicated caretaker Mr Mac, for tirelessly working on this project plus all the staff who have helped bring this vision to life."

The school hopes to share this excellent resource with the local community and looks forward to working towards making that possible in the future. 

The new library is going to prove to be a fantastic new resource which the children - as evidenced by the pictures - are getting really excited about. Not to mention the boost its going to give their education, as reading is such a core part of successful learning. 

To find more about the west Macclesfield place of education, please head to their website.

See Also: Meet the local charity getting books with diverse characters into schools

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